Summer! Made it!

I just finished my last day of classes for the spring 2018 semester last night! There are still some meetings to survive, and more papers to grade than I want to think about, but summer is so close I can smell the sunscreen!

Who am I kidding? I’m not going to need sunscreen, because I’m going to spend the summer like I always do–writing my fingertips off.

(Actually, the hubs and I are taking a romantic road trip up the Pacific Coast this summer, but I think my need for sunscreen might remain minimal in the Pacific Northwest, lol!)

Since I’ve finished writing everything I’m going to publish for the balance of this year (and I’m about 85K words into a book I’m going to publish in 2019), I thought I’d take a minute to update my release schedule and firm up some deets for you–and talk a little about what’s on deck this summer for writing, and some hints about what you might see beyond that.

So, first: a reminder and firm-up of my plans for the rest of 2018. No more tentative dates; here are the releases still to come this year:

2 June: Fight, The Brazen Bulls MC #6. That’s already been announced, and you can find details here. I’m going to set up the preorder this weekend, so keep an eye out.

14 July: The Pagano Brothers #1 (title and cover to be revealed in June–look for a post introducing the whole series then, too). This is the first book of a mafia romance series, spinning off from the Pagano Family series. Book 1 is Trey Pagano’s book. He’s all grown up now. Heh.

1 September: The Brazen Bulls MC #7 (title and cover to be revealed mid-summer). I’ll announce which Bull has the lead here when I reveal the cover and title, but if you’ve been reading the series, I hinted at this couple in Honor.

13 October: The Sawtooth Mountains Stories #2. (title and cover to be revealed in September). This is Logan’s story. If you’ve read Somewhere, then you’ve already met his One True Love.

24 November: At the beginning of the year, I told you I wanted to write a Christmas novella, and I wrote one! I’m going to drop this after Thanksgiving–no preorder or anything, just a release. Until then, I’m gonna leave the mystery intact. Like a wrapped package. 😉

As for my summer plans…

Last summer, I used my expansive writing time to stretch my wings into a new genre, and I wrote Aurora Terminus, my post-apocalyptic science fiction novel. This year, I’m going to give another favorite genre, epic fantasy, a whirl. Oh, I love my idea for this one so very much!!! But I’m also freakin’ terrified to try a story on a scale this big. So we’ll see.

I’ve also got another historical romance on deck. And a couple other wing-stretchy projects to dabble around with this summer, if there’s time.

Oh! And I’m gonna read! I have so many cool books on my TBR right now!

I’m just about done writing the final book of the Brazen Bulls MC (Book 8), which will come out early in 2019. After that, there’s going to be a bit of a biker lull in my schedule for a while. When the Bulls are done, that will be 27 novels and novellas I’ve written about outlaw bikers in the past 5 years (not to mention all the SOA fanfic I wrote before that), and I’m gonna need to recharge those batteries.

What can you expect in the meantime?

Well, there’s a prequel standalone for Delaney and Mo in the offing eventually, maybe in 2019, but the research on that one has been a bit of a slog, so I’m not ready to commit to it quite yet. Lola is chasing other stories at the moment.

The Sawtooth Mountains series is just getting going, and I can see that series ending up in the 4-6 book range. I love Jasper Ridge almost as much as I love Signal Bend, and there are a few residents there whose story I want to get my hands on.

Same with the Pagano Brothers. I’m only beginning to plumb the dark depths of Nick’s side of the pews, and that world is a place Lola can really slake her bloodthirst, so I expect that series to go 4-6 books as well.

I’ve had a few readers ask if there will be more books in the world of Aurora Terminus. The answer is…maybe. AT has an ending that could be simply the end, or it could branch off into more story. I have ideas for enough story to make a trilogy. But right now, I’m not sure if there will be more.

Though I love it now and think it turned out great, writing AT was absolutely the most difficult, soul-rending, confidence-busting experience of my writing career to date, so I’m not yet ready to leap into that volcano again. AT didn’t really get noticed out in the world, either (mainly because I 100% suck at doing literally anything that would get my work noticed). Selling books is not my primary motivation for writing (were that the case, I’d write nothing but bikers and cowboys), but when I’m facing a painful writing task that I might not enjoy, not selling books doesn’t exactly get my juices flowing, lol.

So, anyway…

I have a few plans for this fall, too (besides the obvious writing, writing, writing–oh, and teaching, teaching, teaching), but other than Penned Con 18 in September, they’re not fixed well enough for me to say much about them, except keep an eye out for more info.

Beyond that, who knows what the future holds!

All I know right now is THANK GOD IT’S (almost) SUMMER! Now, where’s the tequila?